Three people are dead and more are wounded after a mass shooting at Michigan State University.

Police report the suspected gunman is dead after apparently taking his own life off campus.

MSU lifted a shelter-in-place order that had been in place for students since around 8:30 pm. local time Monday.

University police earlier reported “multiple reported injuries”, and urged those on campus and nearby to “shelter in place”, as video from local media showed officers swarming the scene.

The university relayed police instructions in alert to those on campus to “Run, Hide, Fight”.

“Run means evacuate away from danger if you can do so safely, hide means to secure-in-place, and fight means protect yourself if no other option,” the message said.

The Associated Press confirmed three fatalities on campus, after the gunman opened fire at Berkey Hall, an academic building, and the nearby student union, a popular gathering spot.

At least five other victims were reported to have been wounded in the attack.

Hundreds of police officers scoured the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, for the suspect, whom police described as a short Black man with red shoes, a jean jacket and ball cap.

University police said there appeared to be only one suspect, described as a “short male with a mask”.

Student Aedan Kelley, who lives less than a kilometre from the campus, said he locked his doors and covered his windows “just in case”. Sirens were constant, he said, and a helicopter hovered overhead.

“It’s all very frightening,” Mr Kelley told local media.

“Then I have all these people texting me wondering if I’m OK, which is overwhelming.”

Few official details about the gunfire were immediately available but university police confirmed on Twitter that shots had been fired in two locations.

“There are multiple reported injuries,” MSU said on its police and public safety Twitter feed.

MSU is a major public institution of higher education whose flagship East Lansing campus has 50,000 graduate and undergraduate students.

University police said on Monday night that all classes and campus activities would be cancelled for the next 48 hours.

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Monday night’s violence came roughly 14 months after a deadly mass shooting on November 30, 2021, at Oxford High School in Oakland County, Michigan, about 128 kilometres east of East Lansing, in which a 15-year-old student opened fire with a semi-automatic pistol.

Four classmates were killed and six other students and a teacher were wounded in that attack, the deadliest US school shooting that year.

Authorities said the teenage suspect, who has pleaded not guilty to murder charges, used a gun his parents bought him as a Christmas present despite signs that he was emotionally disturbed.

Both parents were charged with involuntary manslaughter in the case.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Twitter she was being briefed on the East Lansing shooting.

-with AAP